What Will I Experience During And After The Procedure
The doctor or nurse will attach devices to your body to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure.
You will feel a slight pinch when the nurse inserts the needle into your vein for the IV line and when they inject the local anesthetic. Most of the sensation is at the skin incision site. The doctor will numb this area using local anesthetic. You may feel pressure when the doctor inserts the catheter into the vein or artery. However, you will not feel serious discomfort.
If the procedure uses sedation, you will feel relaxed, sleepy, and comfortable. You may or may not remain awake, depending on how deeply you are sedated.
You may feel slight pressure as the catheter is inserted into the kidney and down the ureter. During placement of a ureteral stent, until the stent is positioned, you may feel pressure as the guide wire is inserted into the bladder resulting in a sensation to urinate. You may experience blood-tinged urine for several days following the procedure, which will usually clear up on its own.
You will remain in the recovery room until you are completely awake and ready to return home.
You will not feel when the contrast is excreted into the urine.
You should be able to resume your normal activities within a few days.
What Happens Before Ureteral Stenting
Before a ureteral stent procedure, your provider may ask you to:
- Get blood tests to check kidney function.
- Give your healthcare team a list of the medications and supplements you take.
- Stop taking medications like aspirin that thin the blood.
- Fast for a specified amount of time before the procedure.
Who Interprets The Results And How Do I Get Them
After the procedure is complete, the interventional radiologist will tell you whether the procedure was a success.
Your interventional radiologist may recommend a follow-up visit.
This visit may include a physical check-up, imaging exam, and blood tests. During your follow-up visit, tell your doctor if you have noticed any side effects or changes.
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How Is A Ureteric Stent Put In Place
Usually a stent is placed under a general anaesthetic using a special telescope which is passed through the urethra into the bladder. The stents are then placed in the ureter and kidney via the opening of the ureter in the bladder. The stent may be inserted as an additional part of an operation on the ureter and kidney . Occasionally they are placed from the kidney down to the bladder using special x-ray techniques. The correct position of a stent is checked by taking an x-ray.
How Is A Kidney Stent Removed
Once the underlying condition that caused blockage of the ureter is resolved and the ureter is healed, the stent can be removed. Kidney stent removal is a short procedure.
The stent is removed using a cystoscope, usually under local anesthesia. Sometimes a stent can be left with a thread attached to its lower end that stays outside the body through the urethra. The doctors can remove such stents by just pulling this thread.
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Ask Your Doctor About Alpha
Alpha-blockers are medications that help reduce ureteral stent pain. Examples of these medications include tamsulosin and alfuzosin.
These medications help reduce spasms in the ureters, which can cause cramping, and help keep the ureter open.
If you find you have cramping and discomfort related to your stent, ask your doctor about this medication option.
Common side effects of alpha-blockers include:
- dizziness when standing up
- retrograde ejaculation
How Long Do The Stents Stay In My Body
It depends on the original cause of the disease process. Indwelling times may range from a few days for relief of ureteral oedema , to the duration of the patients life for maintenance of ureteral patency in obstruction from neighbouring cancer. Regardless of the stent composition, manufacturers usually recommend exchange of stents at 3 to 6 month intervals, and studies have shown that the prevalence of complications increases with longer indwelling times Your consultant will be able to advise you on this.
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What Is A Ureter
A ureter is the tube-like structure that transports the urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder.Ureters run vertically in the mid-part of the abdomen. Typically there is one ureter for each kidney. Some people are born with two ureters to one kidney or two ureters to both kidneys. This is called duplication.
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What Are The Risks Of Ureteral Stent Placement
Your ureter may be damaged during the procedure and you will need surgery to fix it. You may need surgery if the stent cannot be put in safely. The stent may become blocked or move out of place. If the stent remains in place for a long time, minerals and bacteria may grow over it. This can cause a blockage or a bladder infection.
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What Does The Equipment Look Like
During ureteral stenting, a fluoroscope and a guide wire are used to place a stent into the ureter.
A guide wire may be inserted with the aid of a fluoroscope, an imaging device that uses x-rays to see structures on a fluorescent screen.
A stent is 10 to 15 inches long and less than a quarter inch thick.
During a nephrostomy, a fluoroscope, or an ultrasound, and a needle are used to place a catheter in the kidney.
A catheter is a long, thin plastic tube that is considerably smaller than a “pencil lead.” It is about 1/8 inch in diameter.
Ultrasound machines consist of a computer console, video monitor and an attached transducer. The transducer is a small hand-held device that resembles a microphone. Some exams may use different transducers during a single exam. The transducer sends out inaudible, high-frequency sound waves into the body and listens for the returning echoes. The same principles apply to sonar used by boats and submarines.
The technologist applies a small amount of gel to the area under examination and places the transducer there. The gel allows sound waves to travel back and forth between the transducer and the area under examination. The ultrasound image is immediately visible on a video monitor. The computer creates the image based on the loudness , pitch , and time it takes for the ultrasound signal to return to the transducer. It also considers what type of body structure and/or tissue the sound is traveling through.
How To Remove Your Stent
Once the stent is removed you will probably experience some pain the next time you pass urine and you may also notice blood in your urine. This is quite normal and it will pass.
Make sure you drink enough fluid to keep your urine a pale yellow colour. This will reduce the likelihood of blood clots in your urine.
If you feel that you are unable to remove the stent by yourself, dont be concerned. Contact Urology Associates and arrange a time to have the stent removed by a nurse.
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Do I Need To Restrict Activities While I Have A Ureteral Stent
You may need to restrict physical activities for the first week after the procedure. If your job doesnt require lifting heavy objects, you should be able to return to work as usual within 24 hours after the procedure.
Your provider may recommend not having sex for the first week after stent placement to reduce the risk of a UTI.
While You Have Your Stent
After your stent placement procedure, you may feel a pulling sensation when you urinate . You may also have:
- Frequent urination, which is the need to urinate more often than usual.
- Urgent urination, which is a strong, sudden urge to urinate, along with discomfort in your bladder.
- Pelvic pain, which is pain in your lower abdomen .
These symptoms usually go away with time. Your healthcare provider will talk to you about what symptoms you might feel. Your healthcare provider may give you medication to help with bladder symptoms.
You may sometimes see blood in your urine while you have the stent. This may happen for as long as the stent is in place. Sometimes, it happens after increased activity or long car rides. If you see blood in your urine, drink more water than usual until the blood goes away.
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Pain After Kidney Stone Removal And Stent Treatment:
Renal colic or abdominal pain after kidney stone removal and stent can be managed with adequate fluid intake, analgesics along with anti-inflammatory and antibiotics to prevent urinary tract infection.If the pain becomes unbearable or if the signs and symptoms become severe, the prompt treatment is to remove the stent in-situ.Keeping the DJ stent inside the kidneys for long durations can create major complications like:
Since all stents are prone to degradation effects, especially if the urine is acidic, the ideal duration to remove or replace the stent is 2-4 months.
How Long Does It Stay In My Body
This depends on why the stent was placed and what type of stent was used. Your doctor may recommend a stent for as little as a few days or for 6 months or longer. If you need a stent for several months, it may have to be replaced. Double J stents last 3-6 months, but metal stents are usually used for longer. Nephrostomy tubes and extra-anatomic stents may be more permanent. 6
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When Might I Need A Ureteral Stent
Ureteral stents are most often used when you need treatment for kidney stones. The team at Stone Relief Center may insert a ureteral stent if you need a ureteroscopy or when using shock waves or a laser to break down the stones.
In addition to keeping the ureter open so you can urinate, the stent helps tiny pieces of stone travel through the ureter without causing a blockage.
Ureteral stents are not routinely used for everyone having their kidney stones removed. However, chances are youll need a stent if you have an infection when the ureter was blocked by the stone, or if the stones are large. The doctor may also insert a ureteral stent before removing kidney stones if you only have one kidney.
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What Is The Typical Lifespan Of A Stent
Stents are small tubes inserted into your body to reopen a narrowed artery. They are made to be permanent once a stent is placed, its there to stay.
In cases when a stented coronary artery does re-narrow, it usually happens within 1 to 6 months after placement.
Without the right medication and lifestyle changes, you can still have narrowing in other arteries that will need a stent down the road.
The stents placement will only be one part of your treatment plan. Depending on your specific underlying condition, you may also need to:
- work with your doctor to lower your blood pressure
- make sure diabetes is well controlled
A medical professional can work with you to reach these goals. Youll likely be prescribed a medication to help keep your blood from clotting around your stent, in addition to drugs to treat any other underlying conditions.
You may also be given a specialized diet plan to follow.
Its important to take any prescribed medication and follow any dietary or other lifestyle changes suggested by your doctor.
Stents can be placed in arteries throughout your body. This includes your:
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What Will Happen After Ureteral Stent Placement
You may have pain when you urinate, or around your bladder or kidney. You may also need to urinate more frequently than normal, or feel a sudden, urgent need to urinate. You may have blood or brown discharge from your urethra for 48 to 72 hours. You may see blood in your urine. These symptoms are common and should get better with time.
What Happens After Bile Duct Stent Removal
After the procedure You need to lie on your right side for at least six hours to reduce the risk of bleeding. To ensure the proper functioning of the stent, you will be frequently assessed for changes in stool or urine color, jaundice, itching and abnormal liver functions, which indicates a narrowing of the bile duct.
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How Is It Done
Ureteric stenting can be done in two ways:
- It can be done through the kidneys via a nephrostomy
If you need a nephrostomy tube as well as ureteric stenting, your doctor may do both procedures at the same time. It is done by initially performing the nephrostomy and then using the nephrostomy to insert the stent into the ureters. This process is usually done in a radiology department under Ultrasound and x-ray guidance. General anaesthesia is usually not required for this and the procedure can be performed using sedation.
- It can also be done through the urinary bladder using a camera called a cystoscope or ureteroscope. Your doctor will pass a camera through the water passage and will access the urinary bladder. Once in the bladder, the lower opening of ureters can be seen through which the stent can be passed upwards to the kidney. It is usually done under general anaesthetic and using x-ray guidance in an operation theatre.
How Is The Procedure Performed
The procedure is usually performed with the patient asleep . Sometimes a local anaesthetic, with or without sedation, is administered.
During this procedure, a tube with a tiny optic camera is inserted through the urethra into your bladder. The bladder is inspected, and the ureteric opening is located. The urologist may use x-ray images taken with a contrast agent in the ureters to assess the urinary tract and to locate the obstruction.
The stent is placed during surgery by sliding it over a guidewire placed in the ureter .
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What Is A Stent
A stent is a small hollow tube that is placed into the ureter. Its flexible and approximately 10 inches in length.
When placed in the ureter, the top portion of the stent has a small curl that sits in the kidney and the opposite ends curls in the bladder.
Stents may have a string on the end that is visible outside the body. Not all stents have a visible string.
What To Expect Back Home
At hospital discharge, your doctor or nurse will give you instructions for rest, driving, and doing physical activities after the procedure.
Because surgical instruments were inserted into your urinary tract, you may experience urinary symptoms for some time after surgery. These symptoms usually disappear in a few weeks.
Symptoms may include:
- a mild burning feeling when urinating
- small amounts of blood in the urine
- mild discomfort in the bladder area or kidney area when urinating
- need to urinate more frequently or urgently
- pain resulting from an internal abrasion that needs time to heal
Try to drink fluids often but in small quantities. Sometimes a blood clot can cause pain . The urine contains a substance that will dissolve this clot.
If the pain remains despite the use of pain medication, contact the hospital or your doctor.
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Why Is A Stent Needed
Stents are used for various reasons in patients with kidney stones. They can be placed to help reduce sharp pain from a stone or to allow drainage when infection is present or when a stone prevents a kidney from working adequately. Stents are commonly placed after surgery for stones to allow healing and to ensure that swelling does not block the drainage of urine after the procedure.
Ureteral Stenting And Nephrostomy
Ureteral stenting and nephrostomy help restore urine flow through blocked ureters and return the kidney to normal function. Ureters are long, narrow tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. They can become obstructed and urine flow blocked as a result of various conditions. Your doctor may use image guidance to place a thin, flexible tube called a stent into the ureter to restore urine flow. If a stent cannot be placed, he may perform a nephrostomy, during which a tube is placed through the skin into the kidney and connected to either an external drainage bag or the bladder for internal drainage.
Tell your doctor if there is a possibility you are pregnant and discuss any recent illnesses, medical conditions, allergies and medications you’re taking. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or blood thinners several days prior to your procedure and instruct you not to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before. Take regular medication with sips of water. Leave jewelry at home and wear loose, comfortable clothing. You may be asked to wear a gown. If you are not to be admitted to the hospital, plan to have someone drive you home afterward.
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